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Sean Delaney went to Washington D.C. to open the eyes of our Congressional leaders and to share stories of life as a Direct Support Professional serving people with developmental disabilities. Please watch Sean's music video, "Open Your Eyes" and share it with everyone you know, help tell their story.
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Thursday, 31 December 2009 |
· DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR NYSACRA'S ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE DAY
· MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION PROTECTION
· MORE MEDICARE PART D INFORMATION
· MEDICARE MAXIMIZATION PROJECT
· WELLS FIRE GRAND JURY REPORT RELEASED
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NYSACRA News & Views 12-31-2009
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Issue No. 134-09
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December 31, 2009
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Join the Direct Support Professional Alliance of New York State
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NYSACRA Calendar
Executive Positions
Action Center
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Greetings NYSACRA Members!
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· DON'T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR NYSACRA'S ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE DAY
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NYSACRA's annual Legislative Day Breakfast and meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, January 26, 2010. Plans are well underway for this event which will be held in Meeting Room #6 of the Empire State Plaza in Albany. The Governor will release the proposed 2010-11 Executive Budget on January 19th, one week before Legislative Day; therefore our meetings with State Legislators will be timely. We have extended the registration deadline to January 8th, so please complete your registration form and send back to NYSACRA if you have not already done so. Likewise, our room blocks for overnight accommodations (January 25th) in Albany area hotels are filling up quickly; therefore if you plan to stay in Albany (blocks will be released early January), we urge you to reserve your room ASAP. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Katie Mayo at
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· MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION PROTECTION
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Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Fact Sheet for Medicare Part D enrollees to help ensure that beneficiaries receive safe and legally marketed prescription drugs. Effective 1/1/2010, CMS will no longer reimburse Part D sponsors for prescription drugs that are not listed with the FDA. This policy is part of a safety initiative to ensure that Medicare Part D enrollees receive prescription drugs that are properly registered with the FDA. The Fact Sheet can be found here: http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11453.pdf. |
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· MORE MEDICARE PART D INFORMATION
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Dear Marci is a weekly e-newsletter designed to keep you in the loop about health care benefits, rights and options for older Americans and people with disabilities. Dear Marci is a free service of the Medicare Rights Center. Use this link to sign up to receive Dear Marci and other Medicare policy and news updates from the Medicare Rights Center! This week's issue explains when and how Part D Prescription Drug Plan premiums and deductibles might increase in 2010. Essentially, if a person is enrolled in Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or a Medicare Savings Program (MSP), they automatically qualify for Extra Help. A person who does not have Extra Help may see an increase in premium and deductible in 2010, but because they vary by plan, it is important to check the specific plan. For the full article, click here. |
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· MEDICARE MAXIMIZATION PROJECT
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As you know, OMRDD is trying to ensure that people receiving services maximize their enrollment in all benefits for which they may be eligible, including Social Security Disability benefits as Disabled Adult Children. Some NYSACRA members are actually part of the ongoing project to locate individuals who may be eligible and to complete and submit Social Security Disability Insurance applications for these individuals. Deirdre Dugan of OMRDD's Revenue Support Field Operations asked NYSACRA to remind you that when/if the Social Security Administration directs you to apply for a benefit on behalf of an individual, the applications should be filed as quickly as possible. SSI recipients are ineligible for SSI benefits if they fail to apply for other benefits to which they may be entitled. |
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· WELLS FIRE GRAND JURY REPORT RELEASED
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The Hamilton County grand jury, empaneled after the fatal fire at a state-operated group home in the Adirondack community of Wells in March of this year, has issued a final report. To read the report, use this link: http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/21015/grand-jury-finds-numerous-fire-safety-problems-with-state-facility/. The report finds no criminality, but makes a number of recommendations related to building code standards, staff training, fire safety code enforcement, fire investigation responsibility, and police follow up on whether fire drill logs were falsified. NYSACRA will provide more information about where these recommendations may go in the future. |
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